


Better than I would have ever hoped

by Dr_Lombax



Category: Final Space (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 10:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14669406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_Lombax/pseuds/Dr_Lombax
Summary: In John's entire career working for the Infinity Guard, he had seen some pretty strange and unbelievable things. But having his son come to him from the future looking for help saving the Universe- well that was without a doubt the most bizzare.





	Better than I would have ever hoped

**Author's Note:**

> So Episode 8 was pretty emotional for me (I'm a real sucker for supportive and caring parent characters) so I figured I would try my hand at retelling it from John's point of view. Most of the dialogue was taken directly from the show, but I changed around a few lines and decided to do an extension of one scene towards the end.

Deep in his bones, John had known his time was coming to an end.

In a way, accepting death had become a part of life to him; that’s just how it was with all members of the Infinity Guard. You explore. You take risks. Sometimes you fight. Sometimes you die. Hell, he had lost count of how many people from his own graduating class were no longer around. Old Mike Spritzer had gone down in a bad plane crash. Sarah Laser made her last stand on a Zurkronian outpost base that had come under attack. Carter Shin choked on his Chipotle burrito… poor guy.

…Anyways

When you lived so much of your life knowing any day could be your last, you tended to become accustomed to it. But something about this mission- this particular trip- something in his gut told him that it would be his last ride.

It was a simple enough job really. An anomaly in space had caused a breach in the space-time continuum. Infinity Guard scientists speculated that an anti-matter bomb would be capable of closing it off. John was chosen to pilot the ship that would deliver the bomb to the event horizon of the breach.

In theory, once the vessel got close enough, they could shoot the bomb out of one of the ports on the back of the cargo hold. From there, John was supposed to turn the ship hard and fly away as fast as possible before the bomb detonated. Then he would return home, be hailed as a savior, and spend the rest of his days basking in heroic glory.

Just like that. Simple.

Only it wasn’t. John wasn’t sure how he knew but he did. There would be no triumphant return. Something would go wrong. Once the rockets of his ship blasted off, he would never see the Earth again.

**“Are you ready Captain?”**

John glanced towards the ceiling. Although STU (Stellar Traversing Unit) was an AI that technically inhabited every part of the ship, John always looked upwards when addressing him. Perhaps it was simply due to the fact that his voice always seemed to come from above.

"Is everything good to go, STU?"

**"Affirmative. Awaiting your signal for blastoff."**

John took a deep breath. This was his last chance. He could stop this, make up an excuse to leave the ship, run home and grab Gary and disappear forever. He could start a new life, and let somebody else handle the breach in space. After the rockets took off there would be no going back, his fate would be sealed.

He checked to make sure the buckle on his seatbelt was secure. “Yeah STU. I’m ready. Let’s rock.”

The sound of the engines had never been louder to John’s ears.

\---

Jack was clearly not on the same wavelength as John at all. For the entire duration of the flight he laughed and joked as always. Back in New York he had even asked John if he wanted to get taquitos after the mission. Christ.

John Goodspeed was not afraid of death. Lord no. He would do his best for humanity and whatever happened happened.

The only problem was that whenever he closed his eyes, he saw a bright young face beaming at him. A small blond boy, looking up at him like he hung the stars themselves, still clutching that glass jar to his chest.

_Please understand, Gary. I’m doing this for you._

He remembered the talk they had, sitting in his tree house. It had hurt then, smiling at his son and talking about grand adventures all while knowing that it would be the last time they'd be together.

His stomach churned with worry. His own life wasn’t worth any stress. But what would happen to Gary? Would he be alright? Would he eventually heal? Would he find a family of his own? John had never wanted anything more than answers to those questions.

He took a shaky breath to calm himself. As his mother had always said to him, worrying about things beyond your control was like trying to solve algebra by chewing bubblegum. Still, try as he might, as many times as he pushed the thoughts of his son’s future away, they managed to wriggle back to the forefront of his mind.

“-rth to John. Yo! Jonny. You there?”

John’s train of thought derailed as the sound of his co-pilot’s voice broke through. He turned to see Jack looking at him quizzically.

“Sorry. What was that?”

Jack raised one eyebrow. “You doing okay, bro? I know we’re in space and all, but that’s no reason to space out on me.”

John bit back a groan. Jack’s puns were annoying on the best of days. “Yeah. Don’t worry about it. What were you saying?”

Jack looked like he wanted to push the matter, but decided against it. “I was saying that we’re approaching the anomaly. We should be there in five mi-”

“Captain! You’re going to want to see this.” John turned towards the sound of one of the SAMES. The robot was hunched over the controls, looking at the monitors.

“What is it Rex?” Most of the other officers in the fleet thought it odd how John would give the SAMES names that were written across their foreheads, but he enjoyed being able to tell them apart.

“Our scanners are picking up a major spike in energy. Seems to be coming from the anomaly.”

“Energy?” John frowned. “What kind of energy?”

“That’s the thing, Sir. I can’t seem to pin it down. The wave properties suggest gamma radiation, but the Geiger counters aren’t responding like they should. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

 **“Captain”** STU’s voice came over the intercom. **“My sensors are also detecting an energy signal that is growing in intensity. I believe it is coming from the breach.”**

“What are you trying to say STU?” John asked.

Before the AI could respond, the ship was violently rocked back and forth. The two organic life-forms and all of the SAMES were thrown about the deck. Machinery started to fizz and spit out smoke as klaxons blared.

“Oooomph.” John grunted as he landed hard against the nearby consul. “Jack, status report.”

“We just took heavy damage from the anomaly, Captain.” Jack’s voice trembled, clearly fighting the urge to panic. “There’s a huge energy wave headed right for us. We don’t have time to get out of the way.”

As the SAMES staggered to their feet, they began to look at one another anxiously. It seemed that the sense of impending doom that had settled in John’s stomach from the moment he accepted the mission had finally reached the rest of his team.

“Alright everyone, focus.” John’s voice cracked as he tried to make himself heard above the shrill of the alarms. He fought against the coughing fit that threatened to overtake him as more and more smoke filled the bridge. “We still have to stop this thing before it can do any damage to the Earth.” Once again the vision of his son’s face flashed through his mind. Only this time the emotions that it brought him were not of sadness, but of urgency and fear. “Stu, what’s going on?”

 **“It would appear the breach is destabilizing.”** STU’s voice crackled out of the damaged speakers. **“My scanners indicate that it will soon send out a massive energy wave. One that could destroy the ship on contact.”**

“What about the bomb? Can we still use it?”

 **“Perhaps.”** STU responded. **“If we can get to the breach before the wave appears, we might be able to-”**

John P. Goodspeed would never find out what STU’s last words were supposed to be, because just then the anomaly outside the window lit up the dark expanse of space with a blinding flare of light.

Time seemed to stop for John. It was too late. The anomaly was going to open and explode. He failed. He let down the Earth, the Infinity Guard.

He let down Gary.

John took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

It was only then that he realized how much time had passed. Far more time than he should have had before the wave hit the ship.

When John opened his eyes it took him a moment to make sense of what he was seeing. The bridge was still lit up in chaos. Smoke billowed everywhere. Jack and all of the SAMES around him still had expressions of shock and panic.

The only thing was, nothing moved. Not the SAMES, not the machinery, not the smoke, not even the wave of energy visible right outside the ship. John looked around in wonder. What was happening? Nothing made any sense.

“Hello?”

That single word was enough to make John’s thoughts come to a screeching halt. That was not Jack’s voice. It was not the voice of one of the SAMES or STU.

Someone else was on board his ship.

The voice spoke again in a low tone. John didn’t catch the words, but he turned in the direction of the sound.

Standing on the far side of the bridge was a young man, around 20. He was slim with blond hair. Dressed in jeans and a bomber jacket, he looked rather out of place on an exploratory vessel.

All of these details were processed by John’s subconscious though. The only thing he could focus on was the fact that there was an intruder on his ship during a critical moment in his mission.

“Dad. It’s me, Gary.” The stranger tried to take a step towards him but John immediately moved into a defensive stance. The younger man didn’t really look like a major threat, but John's career in space exploration taught him to always be wary.

“‘Dad’? Who the hell are you?” The statement was beyond absurd. Gary was not the person standing in front of him. Gary was safe at home, probably in his treehouse or sitting in his room talking to Mooncake or reading a comic book. His son Gary was only seven years old.

The stranger took a step back, hurt showing in his eyes but John paid him no mind. There were other matters to attend to.

“And why did time freeze? Did you freeze time? You TIME FREEZING DEMON!!!” He pulled out his blaster, keeping it leveled in front of him. If this stranger was capable of stopping time, then maybe he was a greater threat than he first appeared to be. Who knows what else he might be capable of.

“Woah.” The intruder put up his hands, clearly distressed. “Okay look, I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you how I got here, but I’m telling you- I am your son.”

“My son is much younger. A boy half your age.” John looked away thoughtfully. In his time working for the Infinity Guard, he had seen some pretty astounding stuff. If there was one thing he’d learned from decades of space exploration, it was to keep his mind open to all possibilities. Could the man in front of him really be the same as the young boy he’d said goodbye to only hours earlier?

There was only one way to find out.

“If you’re really my son, what was the promise?”

“What?” The stranger seemed confused.

“Before I left.” He clarified. If this person was his Gary, then that should be enough for him to know the answer.

The man on the other end of his blaster smiled and his shoulders relaxed. “To have my adventures.” He said with no hesitation. “Bunches and bunches.”

John almost dropped his gun. The reality he was seeing should be impossible but there it was. The man standing in front of him could not be anyone else but his son.

“Is it really you?”

“As real as it gets, Dad.” Gary took a step towards him again, and suddenly John could see it- the same bright green eyes now overflowing with tears, the same dimples from the ever present smile on his face, the same unkempt hair that no comb ever managed to tame, and the same hero-worship in his gaze that John had come to know so well.

John found himself suddenly moving forward as well, blaster now forgotten. Without waiting another second he pulled his son- his own flesh and blood- into a hug.

A surge of emotions crashed over him. His son was here with him. He had grown. He was now a man.

On the heels of these emotions came the realization that he had many, many questions.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He asked when they finally pulled away. If Gary was still on the ship when it exploded, he could be killed. Was there a way to get him back to wherever- or whenever- he came from?

For his part, Gary did not seem fazed in the least by the danger of the situation. “It’s a real novel, but I’m trying to save the Earth- actually Universe sounds way cooler so I’m actually gonna say Universe from now on.”

“You’re what?” John blinked in astonishment. Gary’s response raised more questions than it answered.

“I’m trying to find out how to close a breach in space that will most certainly destroy Earth- actually Universe- in my time god that sounds so cool… I really feel cool saying that out loud.”

How could John have ever doubted for even a moment that this was his son?

“Well that’s what I’m doing now” he said.

“What?” Gary’s mouth dropped open.

“You’re doing what I’m doing. I’m doing what you’re doing.” John felt a swell of pride. Like father like son.

“No way.” Gary himself seemed to be overcome with the same emotion.

“Look” John pointed towards the main viewing screen, where the breach was still visible, shining like a glowing, white-hot scar across the fabric of reality. Gary walked towards the window before turning back to him.

“You’re closing the breach in space?”

“Me and my co-pilot, yeah.” John gestured over towards Jack.

Gary started, clearly having only just now noticed the other person in the room. As John watched, he slowly made his way towards the smaller man. When he came around enough to see Jack’s face, Gary gasped.

“What is he doing here?” He asked, with more hostility than John thought possible from his son.

“Jack’s my co-pilot. We’ve been doing missions together for years.”

“Jack” Gary spat out the name like it was venomous. “This _guy_ is the Lord Commander.”

“Who?” Now John was confused. Did Gary know Jack in the future? Did that mean Jack would survive the mission?

“The guy who ripped my arm off with his mind.” Gary extended his left arm and John felt his stomach drop. For the first time he noticed that where his son’s left hand should have been there was only smooth, shining metal. It looked like one of the appendages that were built for the SAMES.

_My son his arm he lost an arm my son lost an arm._

He was so caught up in this development that he almost missed hearing Gary talk about his friend that was murdered by the same ‘Lord Commander’, who was apparently Jack.

“Jack is my copilot. He’s been my friend for 29 years.” John looked again at the metal hand that poked out of the sleeve of his son’s bomber jacket.

_My son. He lost an arm. Jack you took my son’s arm. You killed his friend and you tore off his arm._

Apparently John had to choose between his friend and his son. And that was really no choice at all.

“But I’ll take your word for it. Whatdya say we beat the crap out of him son?”

Once again, John watched Gary’s eyes overflow with emotion.

“You… are my dad.”

What followed was a rather cathartic ass-kicking. At any point when John started to feel bad for his once close friend and trusted co-pilot, he had only to look over at his son’s metal arm and those feelings vanished as quickly as they came.

Jack had always been kind of a tool anyway.

After the two of them had worn themselves out they stopped to catch their breath. John used the opportunity to look over his son, trying to assess if there were any other major injuries he might have missed. His estimation of Gary’s age from earlier seemed off now. He was probably closer to 30 than 20. The lack of facial hair just made him look younger at first glance.

“Heh, that was pretty awesome.” Gary wiped his brow. “I- I’ve gotta admit this has been nice. I’ve really missed you.”

“When was the last time you saw me?” John asked.

“Right before… this mission.” Gary’s expression became somber at that. His gaze dropped to the floor. “You never came back.”

“Hmmmm. So I’m about to die huh?” Just like he’d known. His gut was always right.

“Not if I can help it.” Gary responded, looking more determined than John had ever seen before. “So how are we gonna close this breach? I need to know for me.”

John understood what he meant. Gary needed to go back to his own time to close the breach once more.

“An anti-matter bomb detonated in the event horizon of the breach” he stated, pressing a button on one of the consuls to open up the holographic projector. “Thing is, right before you came aboard, an energy blast from final space was about to hit our ship. Time froze, and now there’s no way to deliver the bomb.”

Gary placed a finger to his chin, the same way he always did when he was thinking hard. “Unless…”

“Hit me.”

Gary struck Jack- no, ‘The Lord Commander’- hard across the skull once more.

“Nice.” John gave his son a thumbs-up.

“Thanks. What if you take out the bomb manually?”

“That could work.” John nodded. Although the ship couldn’t be moved, a person could definitely maneuver past the energy wave and use the bomb to close the breach. Only problem was, once the bomb was set off it would kill whoever delivered it. In a way, nothing had changed. This was still going to be John’s last mission. He had been right all along.

“Really” Gary said, apparently caught off guard by the fact that he had suggested a good idea. “Wow I mean we could do it together.”

It amazed John, how easily Gary suggested the idea of a father-son suicide mission. How quickly he was willing to go with his dad and throw away the rest of his life, even though the people in his own time clearly needed him.

“Okay. Yeah.” John nodded, “we’ll do it together.” He felt his stomach twist painfully at those words.

He hated lying to his son.

He clapped Gary on the shoulder. “Alright. Let’s get this bomb set.”

\---

A few minutes later, it was almost ready to go.

“We’ll need to take out the primary and secondary trigger.” John said, twisting the knobs on the metal casing.

“Right.” Gary said. “I have no idea what that is, so I’m going to look at you and nod in agreement.”

John smiled. He thought back to his academy days, when he was still learning how to fly an Imperium Cruiser. He remembered the instructor prattling on endlessly while he stood there nodding and taking in none of what she said. It brought a bit of warmth to his chest, knowing that Gary would grow up to be so much like him.

“So…” John asked “you met anybody?”

It was then that the absurdity of the situation really struck home for him. Just a short time ago he had sat with his son in a tree house, talking about adventures and giving him a pet bug. Now here Gary was, a grown man helping him set a bomb while John asked him about his dating life. Space had definitely set a high standard for bizarre in his life but no doubt in a weirdness contest this moment took first prize.

Gary coughed nervously, his cheeks going slightly pink. “No- Well, kind of. I’m seeing two people at the same time. But mainly- I’m not like- cheating- because they’re the same person.”

“Got it. Time travel thing.” John nodded sagely, as if such experiences were commonplace. “I’ve been there myself.” He hadn’t but hey, it wasn’t that hard to understand. He knew he said the right thing when he was rewarded by Gary laughing and giving him a high five.

They settled into silence for a few moments while John worked on the bomb once more. “What’s their name?” He didn’t want to make any assumptions. Whether the person in question was a guy or a girl, the only thing that mattered to John was that Gary was happy.

“Quinn.” Gary stated. He then seemed to find something fascinating on the hem of his sleeve to pick at.

John thought it was odd. Gary was rarely one for single-word answers. Or single-word sentences, for that matter. Or for long stretches of silence like the one that was hanging between them right now. But for some reason, talking about this Quinn person seemed to bring out an uncharacteristic shyness in his son.

When it became clear that Gary would not be voluntarily forthcoming with more information, John tried again.

“What’s she like.”

“Hmmm.” Gary contemplated, still fidgeting with his sleeve. “The younger, hot one or the older, equally hot one?”

“The one in your timeline.” John said.

“Well she’s headstrong, focused and a real leader.” Gary said. John watched the way his posture softened when he talked about her, admiration overflowing in his voice.

“Do you love her?” John asked, already knowing the answer. When his son felt feelings, he felt them with everything he had.

“Oh” Gary laughed, clearly caught off guard by the question. He brought one hand up to the back of his neck, rubbing nervously.

John almost expected him to lie or deflect, so he was surprised by Gary’s next words. “Totally. To the max-core.” John felt his heart get a little bit lighter. If there was one thing he wanted for Gary more than anything else, it was love.

Then Gary’s face fell and he looked away. “But I don’t think she thinks very much of me.”John watched as his son crossed one arm over his chest, an unconscious motion that he always used to do when he was feeling scared or vulnerable.

“Really? You’re a catch.” It felt cheesy. The kind of thing that any parent would have to say to their kid, but John felt like this was different. His kid had journeyed across time and space to save the Earth- no- the Universe. He made friends with bounty hunters and survived losing an arm and was ready to jump into danger without a moment’s hesitation. Obviously all parents thought their kids were great, but his son was- objectively- friggin awesome.

Gary laughed again but this time there was no humor in it. “Er, thanks Dad. Thanks for saying that.” He squirmed a bit, looking even more uncomfortable than before. He still wasn’t meeting his father’s eyes.

“I mean it. I’m looking at you right now. I’m seeing a catch.”

“Yeah. I know. Totally.” Gary said in a very unconvincing voice. He leaned forward to get a closer look at the bomb. “So what exactly are the primary and secondary triggers?”

John frowned, raising one eyebrow. “I’d tell you if I thought you were actually interested, but I think you’re just trying to change the subject.”

Gary grimaced, flushing bright red and drawing further into himself. His son had always been an open book and right now his expression just screamed ‘busted’.

“Look I- I just- it’s not… don’t worry about it, okay. Could we just move on please?”

Another beat of silence passed between the two, but this time John waited patiently. At length, Gary let out a frustrated sigh.

“Look, I’m not really- You- you don’t know me okay. I’m not… as great as you think. And I’m certainly no catch.”

John was taken aback. “Don’t know you? You’re my son, I-”

“But you don’t know who I became!” Gary spat back, his tone suddenly vitriolic. John took a step back in surprise. “You don’t know about everything that happened after I lost you- how I dropped out of school, ran away from home as a teen. I became a grifter, a thief, a loser. You don’t know because you weren’t there!” As John watched, Gary’s eyes became shiny with unshed tears and his voice started to crack. “I never became part of the Infinity Guard like you. Hell, I just wasted the last five years of my life in prison!”

Gary’s eyes went comically wide and he immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. Clearly he hadn’t meant to share that bit of information.

John assumed that his own face must have mirrored his expression of shock. “Prison? Wha-why? Gary what did you do?”

He instantly regretted his words, hating the way his son flinched and desperately tried to blink back tears. “Oh, nothing much” his voice was hoarse. “Just- you know- destroyingninetytwoimperiumcruisershipsandasmallfamilyownedmexicanrestaurant”

John blinked. “I’m sorry… what?” There was no way he heard that right.

“Okay, so in my defense it was an accident” Gary’s hands started to gesture wildly as he went into what John always referred to as ‘Gary’s-rambling-panic-mode’ “It wasn’t like I was _trying_ to get into the cockpit of an F71 Hawk or _trying_ to impersonate an Infinity Guard pilot- okay well I was but not to- you know what that’s not really the point. It was all just circumstance. And they shouldn’t park all their cruisers so close together anyways and the triggers on those things are wayyyy too sensitive and it wasn’t even authentic Mexican food I would know I had eaten there a few ti-”

Gary’s words cut off just then as a wheezing sound broke through the room. John had tried to hold it in as best he could, but now he was gasping for breath, doubled over and hanging onto the corner of the table for dear life. Tears were coming out of his own eyes, but for very different reasons.

“Oh. My. Crap.” He gasped, forcing each word out through the laughter. Finally, he straightened, wiping at the corners of his eyes. “92 Imperium Cruisers? Son, that is just something else. Wow.”

Gary was looking at him now with a cautious hope. “Y-you’re not mad? Or… disappointed?” The last word was spoken in such a small voice that John felt every last bit of humor leave him in an instant. He placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder.

“Gary it’s okay. Mistakes happen sometimes. Let me guess, it was all about impressing some girl wasn’t it.” Gary nodded mutely. “Same one you’re with now?”

“I’m not really wi… well, yeah.”

“Nice. You really are a chip off the old block.”

John watched Gary blink as he processed those words. “Wait… you mean… you?” He looked skeptical.

“Aw come on son. You don’t think I was born this old and mature did you? What man hasn’t done something reckless for a woman? In fact, I remember this one time at the academy I met this girl- absolute knockout. Turned out she was a senior tech mechanic that would only talk to other members of her senior class. I had been in the academy for exactly two weeks but I told her that I was an upperclassman who knew all there was to know about bomb diffusal. Cut to her asking me for help with a major project she was working on and well, long story short I almost destroyed the Northeast section of campus and it was lucky they never caught me or I would have been kicked out in a heartbeat.”

Gary’s mouth had dropped open in surprise. “Oh my crap!” He laughed. “No way! Are you serious?” John nodded. “You never told me about that.”

“Well in my defense it’s not the best story to share with impressionable young six-year-olds. Anyways, the point is nobody’s perfect. And besides” he laid his hands on Gary’s shoulders, turning him so they were eye to eye “it doesn’t matter if you’ve been arrested by the Infinity Guard a thousand times. A man willing to risk everything for other people is a man I’m proud to call my son.”

A few seconds went by without Gary reacting. Suddenly, he launched himself forward, catching his father in a vice grip hug. John held onto his son, savoring the moment that hours ago he had thought he’d never get to have again. His son was still the most amazing son he could have asked for and if he happened to be trembling in his father’s arms as they hugged and letting out the occasional whimper well, it didn’t make him any less awesome.

When they broke apart, Gary quickly wiped his eyes. “Thanks Dad.” He said. “You’re the greatest.”

_No, Gary. You are._

“Anytime, Son.” John patted him on the shoulder fondly. He then turned and picked up the bomb. “Alright. It’s ready to go.”

Gary frowned. “You sure there isn’t anything else that needs to be done? Bomb-wise… anything else- at all?”

“That’s it. Let’s go.” He began making his way to the exit. Gary made a few more half-hearted attempts at stalling, but quickly fell in step behind him. When they reached the door John looked back over his shoulder, willing his voice to remain steady. “Son. Grab the plasma torch.” He felt his heart speed up, praying that Gary wouldn’t ask why a plasma torch would be needed for bomb detonation. Praying Gary wouldn’t read his expression and realize what was about to happen.

Fortunately for him, Gary nodded dutifully before heading towards the far wall. John took one last look at his boy before opening the airlock and stepping through, sealing the doors behind him.

“What are you doing?” He heard Gary ask as the hydraulic doors closed between them. “Dad!” Gary ran to the glass and started banging on it frantically. “Dad don’t do this without me.”

“Son” John turned away, unable to take the look of heartbreak on Gary’s face. “You have your own time to worry about.”

_Please understand Gary. I’m doing this for you._

He watched as Gary tried to pry the doors open. After a few futile attempts he gave up. “Dad.” He huffed. “This was my idea.”

“Yeah but it’s my responsibility.” He looked down at the bomb again. “There’s another anti-matter bomb in New York- the one on Earth.” God knows he didn’t want to send Gary to the New York on planet Kylar. That one was even worse… somehow. “You can use it to close the breach in your time.”

There was still pain in Gary’s eyes, but he could see the moment that his son stopped fighting him. An unspoken understanding passed between them. This was how it had to happen.

“You know” John said “I had only one regret when I left. I thought I was never gonna get the chance to see the man you would’ve grown up to be. Well, now I know he’s better than I would have ever hoped.”

With that, John Goodspeed donned his helmet, stepping towards the airlock. As he turned away the last thing he saw was his son, pressed against the door with fresh tears running down his face. Aside from the sobs that racked his body, he was silent.

John stepped out into space and his jetpack ignited, propelling him towards the breach.

“Make me a promise, Son” He said, watching as the breach grew closer. “Save the Earth… nah, you were right. Universe sounds much cooler.”

John waited for a response but only silence greeted him. Had his communicator malfunctioned? Was Gary too upset to speak to him? Was he going to die with his son angry with him? Somehow that idea was far more unsettling than dying.

Then a small voice filtered through his headset. “What if I can’t do it?”

“Try your best.” John assured him.

“What if my best isn’t good enough?”

The breach was close now. John placed one hand on the bomb’s opening lock.

“It’s good enough for me.” He said. The locking mechanism twisted open. As John watched, the anti matter bomb grew larger and brighter. In the split-second before it went active, he thought about Gary.

He knew his son would make the exact same sacrifice to save the Universe without hesitation.

He just hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

**Author's Note:**

> The reason I wrote the part with Gary telling his Dad about being in prison was because I thought it would be important that Gary knew his father was proud of him no matter what (and John would 100% still be proud of Gary even if he knew he had spent time in jail fight me).  
> Also I chose that line for the title because to me it seemed like the most emotional part of the episode, and even though Gary was still super hurt about losing his dad, I feel like it would have gone a long way towards providing some closure for him.


End file.
